ABOUT THE RECIPE:

These babies are ready for the oven in 10 minutes flat! Filled with kid-friendly, nutritious, and delicious ingredients like dates, cranberries, sunflower seeds, and bananas, these gluten-free treats make a beautiful breakfast bite, an excellent afternoon snack, or healthy dessert!

Makes 24 Treats

INGREDIENTS:

2 medium ripe bananas, peeled
¼ cup maple syrup
1½ cups gluten-free, quick cooking or old fashioned rolled oats (do not use “instant oats)”
½ cup unsweetened shredded dried coconut
1⁄3 cup sweetened dried cranberries, dried cherries, or raisins
¼ cup raw or roasted sunflower seeds
6 to 8 Medjool dates, pitted and diced

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two, 12-cup mini-muffin tins with paper liners.

Put the bananas and maple syrup in a medium bowl and mash into a chunky purée using a potato masher or large fork. Add the oats and stir to combine. Add the coconut, cranberries, sunflower seeds, and dates, and stir to combine.

Divide the mixture among the lined muffin cups. Bake for 17 to 22 minutes, or until slightly golden around the edges. Put the pans on a wire rack and let cool 5 minutes. Remove the treats from the pans and let cool 10 minutes.

Covered tightly and stored in the refrigerator, leftover treats will keep for about 3 days.

NOTE: Gluten-free, quick cooking rolled oats are cut into slightly smaller pieces than the “old fashioned” variety, so that they cook faster. I use quick cooking rolled oats in cookies, muffins, pie crusts, cakes, crisps, pie fillings, quick breads, meatless loaves, gravies, and vegan burgers. If you are cooking gluten-free, purchase oats that are certified to be gluten-free.